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Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey kills moose to protect his dogs during race

34 points by nkurz 3y ago

rightbyte 3y ago
So the moose got stuck in the pulling ropes and strangled and crushed the dogs? Just reading the headline it sounded like the moose attacked, which sounded strange.
- Modified3019 3y ago
  Most likely it got tangled after attacking. Moose are well known for being heavily biased into the "fight" portion of fight/flight/freeze. They have horrible eyesight, so they are easy to "startle", resulting in a very sudden outbreak of ~500kg's of violence. A bunch of dogs and a sled speeding around is definitely a good way to provoke one.
  - rightbyte 3y ago
    Are North American mooses more aggressive than European? I have never even heard rumors about rumors that someone or their dog got attacked by moose.
    - adastra22 3y ago
      In fact European moose are more aggressive, if wikipedia is to be believed.
    - Modified3019 3y ago
      Honestly, it had not occurred to me that Europe even had moose species. I can't think of a time I've ever seen one in europeon media (not that I'm exposed to that much of it). I grew up in michigan, having done various camping trips there and in canada. Large animal related safety was impressed on us, and moose attacks do appear in the news. But yes, if you see a moose, stay the hell away. If you see a calf, get the hell away faster (before mom finds you). To be clear, while I wouldn't call them docile, moose aren't really stalking around for fresh victims. But there are things which can instantly set them off and it's best not to roll those dice if you can avoid it because they straight up aren't afraid of you. https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2018/10/15/moose-attacks/ https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2018/10/15/moose-attacks/ https://www.wildlifexteam.com/about/blog/moose-attacks-more-dangerous-than-bear-attacks-how-to-protect-yourself.html https://www.wildlifexteam.com/about/blog/moose-attacks-more-... Reading the above, it seems they do have a special hatred of dogs though. It's possible you may be mixing them up with elk, which do have a healthy fear of people and dogs, and would certainly make me question my ears if I heard that one had attacked a bobsled.
      - porbelm 3y ago
        Yeah stay away from moose, they are friendly enough when lying down drunk on fermented apples in the yard, but if you come between a mom and a calf when walking in the forest you may be in a world of pain. Yes, they do attack dogs that become a nuisance. Source: The huge beasts that live in our neighbourhood forest in southeastern Norway
      - ta1243 3y ago
        It's 1971, a Swedish man crashes into a tree, what causes the accident? There's nothing medical, nothing wrong with the car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-fCBcgDq4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-fCBcgDq4Y
      - 0x38B 3y ago
        Growing up we had a dog, and once our dog went after a big moose in the yard. The moose turned and tore after our dog, who stumbled or fell over himself in terror - the moose was running so fast that it jumped over our dog, who was unharmed (physically, at least). I’ve lived around moose most of my life and don’t mind getting close, but you have to read their body language.
    - ruined 3y ago
      you wouldn't expect it, but moose are the most dangerous wild mammal in north america
      - scns 3y ago
        Only topped by Hippos!
        lupusreal 3y ago
        [I hope] all the North America hippos are locked up in zoos though.
        duskwuff 3y ago
        In North America, I believe so. South America is another matter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia
      - ta1243 3y ago
        Second most.
    - rufus_foreman 3y ago
      >> Are North American mooses more aggressive than European? The plural of moose is meese, similar to goose -> geese.
      - kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago
        Moosen
- vdo 3y ago
  It’s not unheard of, though not common. There was an incident a couple years ago where a musher, not during the Iditarod iirc, had to shoot a moose. She could not down it despite emptying her gun into it. She managed to cut some of her dogs loose, but the rest were basically hostages. It’s horrific what can happen! That moose stayed close by and attacked off and on for an extended time before she could get help. (Source: https://m.facebook.com/koahteam/posts/this-has-been-the-most-horrific-past-24-hours-of-my-life-i-am-overwhelmed-with-t/446026073872495/ https://m.facebook.com/koahteam/posts/this-has-been-the-most... ). I’m glad Seavey was able to dispatch this one without further harm. As a sort of PSA: moose are frankly more likely to attack if you have a dog. It’s honestly a risk factor for being attacked by a moose here in Alaska for much of the year (besides the presence of calves, of course). They have strong instincts against anything reading like a wolf. Moreover, they are more likely to opt for fight over flight when in deeper snow because it is tiring to traverse and they won’t be able to run as well. They’re exhausted, grumpy, desperate.
  - mordechai9000 3y ago
    Many have probably been hassled by all the unleashed dogs running around. Then they see a human with a dog and think you're coming back for more, so it sets them off.
- takinola 3y ago
  I met a guy whose dogs had been killed by a moose during the Iditarod. My understanding is you generally give them a wide berth if possible as they can be very dangerous.
0x38B 3y ago
More details on the encounter (1): > Seavey said he was mushing down a hill and around a blind corner when most of his team passed by the moose. He had to scramble to get his gun, a .357-caliber revolver he keeps in a pouch at the top of his sled bag. > “I didn’t get it out until the moose was all the way to the back of the team. Right about that time, I thought, ‘This thing might just walk right by us.’ I mean, it was touching the dogs,” Seavey said. “And then all of a sudden it just started kicking.” > Seavey shot the moose once at first, and the sound of the gunshot startled his dogs, causing them to lurch and pull the sled forward. Then he shot the moose four more times in the head, and it fell, first on his sled, then in the middle of the trail, he said. > One of his dogs, Faloo, had been running in the wheel position, closest to the sled, and got the worst of the kicking, Seavey said. The 5-year-old dog had to be flown from the next checkpoint to Anchorage, where veterinarians were caring for her. 1: https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/05/an-angry-moose-and-bare-ground-mark-a-brutal-first-quarter-for-iditarod-teams/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/05/a...
- mvdtnz 3y ago
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  - throw623423 3y ago
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    - lupusreal 3y ago
      [flagged]
  - leereeves 3y ago
    Did you miss the end? > One of his dogs, Faloo [who got the worst kicking from the moose] had to be flown from the next checkpoint to Anchorage, where veterinarians were caring for her.
  - renewiltord 3y ago
    Not to worry. Looks like he got hit 4 times in the head. That's what the story is about.
neonate 3y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20240306211709/https://theathletic.com/5318294/2024/03/05/iditarod-musher-kills-moose-race/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240306211709/https://theathlet...
tcmb 3y ago
Sometimes I wonder about the things that make it to HN's front page...
- op00to 3y ago
  A moose once bit my sister.
  - rdtsc 3y ago
    Well, she shouldn’t have been karving her initials on the møøse with a toothbrush!
  - 0x38B 3y ago
    A moose once came to our front door and stuck his head in, on my birthday to boot. Never had that happen! He was super chill, too. But when he started pushing in, me and my dad had to lean on the door. But I doubt we’d have been able to stop him had he really tried.
justinclift 3y ago
This seems to have the whole article: https://archive.is/gyruI https://archive.is/gyruI Thankfully, it doesn't have the modal pop up (unlike the archive.org one). The last two paragraphs are shaded to a lighter gray though, but are still readable. At least on my monitor.
nkurz 3y ago
The update to the story is that the officials penalized Seavey "for ‘not sufficiently’ gutting moose": https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/06/iditarod-penalizes-dallas-seavey-for-not-sufficiently-gutting-moose-he-shot-in-defense-of-team/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/06/i... In better news, the injured dog seems to be recovering after surgery: https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/07/iditarod-made-the-right-call-seavey-says-of-penalty-for-insufficient-moose-gutting/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/07/i...
- Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
  Nice to see that the dog made it. It's not long ago that the dog would have certainly been shot on the spot as well. Conventional wisdom says not to treat working dogs as pets because it makes them soft, but in the experience of both hunters and mushers that I know, the stronger the bond with the dog, the better the dog performs. I wonder if the same may be true of code monkeys.
gumby 3y ago
He used a handgun! The only time I've been close to a moose 1 - it looked like a Chevy Suburban on stilts and 2 - I hoped it didn't see me or didn't care. I was relieved when it just continued on its way as if I didn't exist.
nkurz 3y ago
"According to Iditarod Rule 34, if an edible big game animal — like a moose, caribou or buffalo — is killed in defense of life or property, the musher is required to gut the animal and report it to race officials at the next checkpoint. Mushers who follow must help gut the animal when possible and no teams may pass until the animal is gutted and the musher gutting the animal has proceeded." Does this rule exist in any other sports? https://archive.ph/gyruI https://archive.ph/gyruI
- Maarten88 3y ago
  > Does this rule exist in any other sports? In sailing, boats are required to render help to a boat that is in problems, before continuing their race. Boats that render help are compensated for the loss in position/time in the race afterwards, by a jury.
  - reaperman 3y ago
    This is generally just a de jure rule, very very rarely put into practice. In the vast majority of races, there are enough motorized “race committee” boats which render aid where needed, so the other racing sailboats wouldn’t be much help and don’t need to stop. Long-distance coastal or offshore races it would be somewhat more likely as race committee boats generally are only at the beginning and end of the race. But even then, after hailing mayday, a good samaritan motorboat is far more likely to reach you first than one of your sailing competitors.
    - plopz 3y ago
      It's not so uncommon, I was just reading about Kristen Neuschafer and Yannick Bestaven who both rescued fellow competitors in solo races. Both happened in the last couple years.
      - reaperman 3y ago
        In the hundreds of sailboat races I’ve been in, I’ve not seen it happen once. The race committee boats help someone out nearly every other race, but I’ve never seen another racer stop to render aid. It’s not callous, it’s just their help isn’t needed. It really is very rare. But then so is gutting a moose during a sled dog race.
myroon5 3y ago
Elsewhere in the race, 3+ other dogs collapsed and died so far: https://humanemushing.org/statistics/ https://humanemushing.org/statistics/

34 points by nkurz 3y ago

So the moose got stuck in the pulling ropes and strangled and crushed the dogs? Just reading the headline it sounded like the moose attacked, which sounded strange.

Modified3019 3y ago
Most likely it got tangled after attacking. Moose are well known for being heavily biased into the "fight" portion of fight/flight/freeze. They have horrible eyesight, so they are easy to "startle", resulting in a very sudden outbreak of ~500kg's of violence. A bunch of dogs and a sled speeding around is definitely a good way to provoke one.
- rightbyte 3y ago
  Are North American mooses more aggressive than European? I have never even heard rumors about rumors that someone or their dog got attacked by moose.
  - adastra22 3y ago
    In fact European moose are more aggressive, if wikipedia is to be believed.
  - Modified3019 3y ago
    Honestly, it had not occurred to me that Europe even had moose species. I can't think of a time I've ever seen one in europeon media (not that I'm exposed to that much of it). I grew up in michigan, having done various camping trips there and in canada. Large animal related safety was impressed on us, and moose attacks do appear in the news. But yes, if you see a moose, stay the hell away. If you see a calf, get the hell away faster (before mom finds you). To be clear, while I wouldn't call them docile, moose aren't really stalking around for fresh victims. But there are things which can instantly set them off and it's best not to roll those dice if you can avoid it because they straight up aren't afraid of you. https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2018/10/15/moose-attacks/ https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2018/10/15/moose-attacks/ https://www.wildlifexteam.com/about/blog/moose-attacks-more-dangerous-than-bear-attacks-how-to-protect-yourself.html https://www.wildlifexteam.com/about/blog/moose-attacks-more-... Reading the above, it seems they do have a special hatred of dogs though. It's possible you may be mixing them up with elk, which do have a healthy fear of people and dogs, and would certainly make me question my ears if I heard that one had attacked a bobsled.
    - porbelm 3y ago
      Yeah stay away from moose, they are friendly enough when lying down drunk on fermented apples in the yard, but if you come between a mom and a calf when walking in the forest you may be in a world of pain. Yes, they do attack dogs that become a nuisance. Source: The huge beasts that live in our neighbourhood forest in southeastern Norway
    - ta1243 3y ago
      It's 1971, a Swedish man crashes into a tree, what causes the accident? There's nothing medical, nothing wrong with the car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-fCBcgDq4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-fCBcgDq4Y
    - 0x38B 3y ago
      Growing up we had a dog, and once our dog went after a big moose in the yard. The moose turned and tore after our dog, who stumbled or fell over himself in terror - the moose was running so fast that it jumped over our dog, who was unharmed (physically, at least). I’ve lived around moose most of my life and don’t mind getting close, but you have to read their body language.
  - ruined 3y ago
    you wouldn't expect it, but moose are the most dangerous wild mammal in north america
    - scns 3y ago
      Only topped by Hippos!
      - lupusreal 3y ago
        [I hope] all the North America hippos are locked up in zoos though.
        duskwuff 3y ago
        In North America, I believe so. South America is another matter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia
    - ta1243 3y ago
      Second most.
  - rufus_foreman 3y ago
    >> Are North American mooses more aggressive than European? The plural of moose is meese, similar to goose -> geese.
    - kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago
      Moosen
vdo 3y ago
It’s not unheard of, though not common. There was an incident a couple years ago where a musher, not during the Iditarod iirc, had to shoot a moose. She could not down it despite emptying her gun into it. She managed to cut some of her dogs loose, but the rest were basically hostages. It’s horrific what can happen! That moose stayed close by and attacked off and on for an extended time before she could get help. (Source: https://m.facebook.com/koahteam/posts/this-has-been-the-most-horrific-past-24-hours-of-my-life-i-am-overwhelmed-with-t/446026073872495/ https://m.facebook.com/koahteam/posts/this-has-been-the-most... ). I’m glad Seavey was able to dispatch this one without further harm. As a sort of PSA: moose are frankly more likely to attack if you have a dog. It’s honestly a risk factor for being attacked by a moose here in Alaska for much of the year (besides the presence of calves, of course). They have strong instincts against anything reading like a wolf. Moreover, they are more likely to opt for fight over flight when in deeper snow because it is tiring to traverse and they won’t be able to run as well. They’re exhausted, grumpy, desperate.
- mordechai9000 3y ago
  Many have probably been hassled by all the unleashed dogs running around. Then they see a human with a dog and think you're coming back for more, so it sets them off.
takinola 3y ago
I met a guy whose dogs had been killed by a moose during the Iditarod. My understanding is you generally give them a wide berth if possible as they can be very dangerous.

0x38B 3y ago

More details on the encounter (1): > Seavey said he was mushing down a hill and around a blind corner when most of his team passed by the moose. He had to scramble to get his gun, a .357-caliber revolver he keeps in a pouch at the top of his sled bag. > “I didn’t get it out until the moose was all the way to the back of the team. Right about that time, I thought, ‘This thing might just walk right by us.’ I mean, it was touching the dogs,” Seavey said. “And then all of a sudden it just started kicking.” > Seavey shot the moose once at first, and the sound of the gunshot startled his dogs, causing them to lurch and pull the sled forward. Then he shot the moose four more times in the head, and it fell, first on his sled, then in the middle of the trail, he said. > One of his dogs, Faloo, had been running in the wheel position, closest to the sled, and got the worst of the kicking, Seavey said. The 5-year-old dog had to be flown from the next checkpoint to Anchorage, where veterinarians were caring for her. 1: https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/05/an-angry-moose-and-bare-ground-mark-a-brutal-first-quarter-for-iditarod-teams/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/05/a...

mvdtnz 3y ago
[flagged]
- throw623423 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - lupusreal 3y ago
    [flagged]
- leereeves 3y ago
  Did you miss the end? > One of his dogs, Faloo [who got the worst kicking from the moose] had to be flown from the next checkpoint to Anchorage, where veterinarians were caring for her.
- renewiltord 3y ago
  Not to worry. Looks like he got hit 4 times in the head. That's what the story is about.

neonate 3y ago

https://web.archive.org/web/20240306211709/https://theathletic.com/5318294/2024/03/05/iditarod-musher-kills-moose-race/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240306211709/https://theathlet...

tcmb 3y ago

Sometimes I wonder about the things that make it to HN's front page...

op00to 3y ago
A moose once bit my sister.
- rdtsc 3y ago
  Well, she shouldn’t have been karving her initials on the møøse with a toothbrush!
- 0x38B 3y ago
  A moose once came to our front door and stuck his head in, on my birthday to boot. Never had that happen! He was super chill, too. But when he started pushing in, me and my dad had to lean on the door. But I doubt we’d have been able to stop him had he really tried.

justinclift 3y ago

This seems to have the whole article: https://archive.is/gyruI https://archive.is/gyruI Thankfully, it doesn't have the modal pop up (unlike the archive.org one). The last two paragraphs are shaded to a lighter gray though, but are still readable. At least on my monitor.

nkurz 3y ago

The update to the story is that the officials penalized Seavey "for ‘not sufficiently’ gutting moose": https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/06/iditarod-penalizes-dallas-seavey-for-not-sufficiently-gutting-moose-he-shot-in-defense-of-team/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/06/i... In better news, the injured dog seems to be recovering after surgery: https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/07/iditarod-made-the-right-call-seavey-says-of-penalty-for-insufficient-moose-gutting/ https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2024/03/07/i...

Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
Nice to see that the dog made it. It's not long ago that the dog would have certainly been shot on the spot as well. Conventional wisdom says not to treat working dogs as pets because it makes them soft, but in the experience of both hunters and mushers that I know, the stronger the bond with the dog, the better the dog performs. I wonder if the same may be true of code monkeys.

gumby 3y ago

He used a handgun! The only time I've been close to a moose 1 - it looked like a Chevy Suburban on stilts and 2 - I hoped it didn't see me or didn't care. I was relieved when it just continued on its way as if I didn't exist.

nkurz 3y ago

"According to Iditarod Rule 34, if an edible big game animal — like a moose, caribou or buffalo — is killed in defense of life or property, the musher is required to gut the animal and report it to race officials at the next checkpoint. Mushers who follow must help gut the animal when possible and no teams may pass until the animal is gutted and the musher gutting the animal has proceeded." Does this rule exist in any other sports? https://archive.ph/gyruI https://archive.ph/gyruI

Maarten88 3y ago
> Does this rule exist in any other sports? In sailing, boats are required to render help to a boat that is in problems, before continuing their race. Boats that render help are compensated for the loss in position/time in the race afterwards, by a jury.
- reaperman 3y ago
  This is generally just a de jure rule, very very rarely put into practice. In the vast majority of races, there are enough motorized “race committee” boats which render aid where needed, so the other racing sailboats wouldn’t be much help and don’t need to stop. Long-distance coastal or offshore races it would be somewhat more likely as race committee boats generally are only at the beginning and end of the race. But even then, after hailing mayday, a good samaritan motorboat is far more likely to reach you first than one of your sailing competitors.
  - plopz 3y ago
    It's not so uncommon, I was just reading about Kristen Neuschafer and Yannick Bestaven who both rescued fellow competitors in solo races. Both happened in the last couple years.
    - reaperman 3y ago
      In the hundreds of sailboat races I’ve been in, I’ve not seen it happen once. The race committee boats help someone out nearly every other race, but I’ve never seen another racer stop to render aid. It’s not callous, it’s just their help isn’t needed. It really is very rare. But then so is gutting a moose during a sled dog race.

myroon5 3y ago

Elsewhere in the race, 3+ other dogs collapsed and died so far: https://humanemushing.org/statistics/ https://humanemushing.org/statistics/